Rapallo
Close to the beach and with its own spa facilities – a thermal bath and steam room – this beautifully refurbished place is super relaxing. The modern…
Must-see hotels in Italy
Friuli Venezia Giulia
This vintage hotel has been serving travellers since 1889 and enjoys a prime position on the main piazza. Rooms are large and pleasant with flowery bed…
Monterosso
This aptly named hotel is right on Monterosso’s spiaggia (beach) and its 20 largish rooms are popular – book early (up to six months in advance). If you…
Trani
This simple, old-fashioned B&B inhabits the 14th-century Palazzo Morola in the old Jewish quarter, and is run by a lovely elderly couple. It's basic, but…
Porto Cervo
In typical Costa style, this hotel has rooms in low-lying ochre buildings interwoven with perfect lawns, palms and bougainvillea. Uniformed staff provide…
Cremona
Cost-conscious musicians love this central, fairly luxurious hostel where cheerful, modern bedrooms and four-bed dorms are pristine and thoughtfully…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Book one of the four sleek suites in this building of former artists’ studios and you'll be given your own key to the street entrance, letting you emulate…
Mount Etna
In Nicolosi, just off the main route up to the cable-car station, this country-style hotel offers excellent value for money. Its rooms are tasteful,…
Costa Smeralda
A postcard ensemble of pastel-pink villas, green lawns and flower-lined walkways, La Rocca is a plush five-star retreat with cool, summery rooms and…
Cagliari
Sleep in style at this boutique B&B just off Piazza Yenne. Exposed stone, floaty fabrics and glass mosaics lend warmth to the minimalist-chic rooms, all…
Southeastern Sardinia
For a warm welcome and homey digs in Muravera, this super-friendly B&B ticks all the boxes. Its three rooms, all named after citrus fruits, are spacious…
Siena
The tiny terrace alone might prompt you to stay at this welcoming, family-run hotel – it sports grandstand views across to the duomo and is a captivating…
Naples
An easy walk from the main train station, this spotless hotel is a world away from the grungy street below. Rooms are spartan but clean, with functional…
Eastern Sardinia
An ecofriendly hotel using solar and geothermal energy, Il Querceto boasts nicely low-key rooms with lashings of cream linen and honey-coloured tiles. The…
Lecce
High ceilings, heritage tiled floors and an expansive breakfast spread combine with warm hospitality from friendly host Egle at this excellent B&B on the…
Turin
Twentieth-century industrial bones mean rooms are huge and bright, while the fit-out is high-2000s designer slick with an industrial edge. This corporate…
Gallipoli
A magnificent 16th-century building houses this memorable B&B. The five rooms are all different but share the same princely atmosphere with exquisite…
Savona
Rooms are sparkling clean at this chain hotel near the cruise terminal. Each has floor to ceiling windows, a modular design, and some have fine harbour…
Southwestern Sardinia
This family-run hotel near the Nuraghe Su Nuraxi makes an ideal base for exploring the area. Rooms, which come with tiled floors and plain wooden…
Lipari
Swiss artist Edwin Hunziker converted this Aeolian house into a bohemian-spirited hotel in the 1950s. It stands above Lipari town in a garden of citrus…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
A short hop from St Peter's, this stylish bolthole has 12 rooms spread over two floors of a large residential building. There's a hushed air about the…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
Nestled under the Vatican walls, the Bramante exudes country-house charm with its cosy internal courtyard and classically attired rooms complete with wood…
Trieste
Upstairs in an imposing Borgo Teresiano building, this small, cosy hotel mixes traditional furnishings with bright, modern bathrooms, a large lounge and…
Langhe, Roero & Monferrato
These large, luxuriously furnished and very pretty apartment-style suites can sleep two to four; they have small terraces and, in the largest, a Jacuzzi…
Basilicata
Named for Venosa's most famous son, the Roman poet Horace, this hotel occupies a 17th-century palace complete with antique majolica tiles, frescoes,…
Costa Smeralda
In an area dominated by luxury hotel chains, it’s a pleasure to find a welcoming family-run place like Hotel Capriccioli. Only 200m from beautiful…
Southern Tuscany
Housed within an imposing but worn old building, the Bastiani offers dark budget rooms, comfortable and airy standard options, and an excellent breakfast…
Naples
Snugly situated in an old three-storey building, Hotel Toledo offers comfy, smallish rooms with terracotta tiles and mod cons; the rooms are a little on…
The Dolomites
Across the river in a village ‘suburb’ of Cavalese, this is a relaxed, family-run place. Surprisingly spacious contemporary rooms have nice extras such as…
Stromboli
In the sleepy village of Ginostra on Stromboli's west coast, Stromboli native Giovanna offers a variety of accommodation options: a three-room B&B, along…
Cagliari
Chic, newly renovated apartments in a centrally located townhouse make a perfect base for exploring the city. Each beautiful apartment is outfitted with…
Lipari
Francesco Corrado's seasonal, two-room B&B is housed in a grand if faded Liberty-style building, five minutes on foot from the port on the northern edge…
Alba
Three sisters run this central, upmarket B&B – which was once their family home – with love. Three classically decorated, antique-filled rooms share a…
Alberobello
Excellent value right in the heart of the Rione Monti neighbourhood, this simple hotel is in an old monastery located next to a unique trulli-style church…
Southern Tuscany
Antonio and Pino's cute B&B has two comfortable if old-fashioned rooms, but what makes their B&B so exceptional is the warm welcome, delicious breakfast…
Eastern Sardinia
It’s just a short amble from the beach to this low-rise, whitewashed hotel, where a warm welcome extends to all. The colourful rooms open onto balconies…
Padua
Smart, carpeted rooms with wide beds, flat-screen TVs and modern bathrooms define Patavium, a quick walk northwest of the city centre. Suites come with…
South Coast
Housed in a panoramic villa a short but calf-busting walk up from the harbour, this homey B&B wins you over with its simple rooms, manicured gardens and…
Calabria
This pleasant four-star boutique hotel is hidden on an unlikely and rather dingy side street. But its exuberant blue-and-white design, upscale comforts…
Langhe, Roero & Monferrato
Looking out to Piazza Italia, this cute, rather modern place has four stylish rooms. Some are decked out in grey, white and black tones, while others come…
